1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing image data, and more particularly, to an operation of reproducing a still image from a recording medium in which moving images and still images are recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital VCR""s (video cassette recorders) for recording video data and audio data on a magnetic tape in the form of digital data and reproducing these data from the magnetic tape, have been known as apparatuses of these kinds.
Since such digital VCR""s can record and reproduce images having higher quality than the image quality obtained by conventional analog VCR""s, it is intended to provide a digital VCR with a function of recording and reproducing still images in addition to the ordinary function of recording and reproducing moving images.
That is, when recording image data as data representing a still image, recording of a still image can be performed by recording the same photographed image data (one frame) repeatedly for a period of a plurality of frames.
When recording moving images and still images mixed together in the above-described manner, discrete portions (frames) of still-image data are present between bodies of moving-image data.
When it is intended to reproduce only still images recorded between moving images, it is necessary to perform an operation of retrieving only still-image data by skipping recorded moving-image data. Accordingly, when the user instructs to reproduce the next still image after reproducing a given still image, the user is kept waiting while the next still image is retrieved. Hence, optimum operability is not realized when reproducing a still image.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to improve operability when reproducing a still image.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide the capability of effectively utilizing a memory.
According to one aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a reproducing apparatus including a reproducing unit for reproducing image data from a recording medium where moving-image data and still-image data are recorded, a storage unit for storing still-image data for a plurality of different picture frames reproduced by the reproducing unit, and a memory control unit for selectively reading the still-image data for the plurality of picture frames stored in the storage unit.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a reproducing apparatus including a reproducing unit for reproducing image data of a first format from a recording medium, a first storage unit for storing the image data of the first format reproduced by the reproducing unit, a processing unit for obtaining image data of a second format by performing processing for the image data of the first format stored in the first storage unit, a second storage unit, and a mode setting unit for setting a mode of the apparatus from among a plurality of modes. The plurality of modes include an ordinary mode in which the first storage unit stores the image data of the first format reproduced by the reproducing unit, and the second storage unit stores the image data of the second format obtained by the processing unit, and a special mode in which the first storage unit and the second storage unit store the image data of the first format reproduced by the reproducing unit.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a reproducing apparatus including a reproducing unit for reproducing image data from a recording medium where moving-image data and still-image data are recorded, a storage unit for storing the image data reproduced by the reproducing unit, and a mode setting unit for setting a mode of the apparatus from among a plurality of modes. The plurality of modes include a moving-image reproducing mode in which the reproducing unit reproduces the moving-image data and the storage unit stores the moving-image data for n picture frames (n being an integer equal to or greater than 2), and a still-image reproducing mode in which the reproducing unit reproduces the still-image data, and the storage unit stores the still-image data for m (m greater than n) picture frames.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a data processing apparatus including a storage unit for storing first image data of a first format and second image data of a second format different from the first format, and a control unit for changing a storage area for the first image data in the storage unit in accordance with a mode of the apparatus.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a reproducing apparatus including a reproducing unit for reproducing encoded image data from a storage medium where moving-image data and still-image data are recorded, a storage unit for storing the encoded image data reproduced by the reproducing unit, and a decoding unit for decoding the encoded image data stored in the storage unit. The storage unit also stores the decoded image data. The apparatus also includes a control unit for changing a storage area for the encoded image data in the storage unit in accordance with a mode of the apparatus.
According to still another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to an apparatus for reproducing encoded image data from a recording medium where still-image data for a plurality of different picture frames are recorded together with moving-image data, and for storing the reproduced encoded image data in a memory. The apparatus has a still-image reproducing mode of automatically detecting and reproducing the still-image data for the plurality of picture frames recorded on the recording medium by controlling an operation of feeding the recording medium, and storing the reproduced still-image data for the plurality of picture frames in the memory.
The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.